Cabbage Patch Dolls: History, Types, and Where to Find Them Today

April 11, 2011

Looking for Cabbage Patch Dolls? Learn about Cabbage Patch history and more. Learn how these tiny babies became all the rage in the ’80s and where to find them today

Cabbage Patch Dolls have been around for years, and whether you are a child or an adult, there is a kid in your somewhere who loves them. However, finding them nowadays is not that easy unless you start doing your digging on the internet. They are almost all but gone off of shelves, and finding any would be a collector’s item in a sense.

Cabbage Patch Dolls and History

In 1979, there was a fellow by the name of Xavier Roberts who began inventing these cute little dolls. He would begin by setting up these dolls and displaying them in a sort of hospital like setting for all to see. He decided to set them up and also put a sign that would read “up for adoption”. What made these Cabbage Patch newborns so special was the fact that they were crafted to look real.

Almost immediately, people were drawn to these cute vintage Cabbage Patch Dolls, and no one could ever seem to get tired of them. They began to grow in popularity over the months and years, and in 1982, Coleco, a toy company, offered to buy the Cabbage Patch Dolls from Roberts. Mattel soon would be the company to take over in 1994, and then in 2004 Play Along Toys as well as 4Kids Entertainment was soon making these lovable dolls.

Standard Cabbage Patch Dolls

For the most part, these Cabbage Patch Dolls were about 16 inches tall. The more the years went on, these dolls took over the toy industry and more dolls and accessories were made. Some new offerings included things such as:

Boy Cabbage Patch Dolls

Cabbage Patch Newborns

Cabbage Patch Dolls Clothes

There were well over a dozen styles, sizes, and designs of these Cabbage Patch Dolls on the market, and kids everywhere wanted to have their very own to “adopt” and love. However, after the ’80s, the rage slowly began to drizzle away to nothing. Any of the original dolls are considered to be vintage Cabbage Patch Dolls, and to many, this is a collector’s item.

Where Can You Find These Cabbage Patch Dolls Now?

While new versions of the dolls are still being sold in toy stores, the original vintage Cabbage Patch Dolls are harder to find. These lovable dolls have taken a new form, and are still loved by children, but the buzz has died down some. You can start searching online and even on auction sites. There are many sites that offer collectibles as well as older and original items. There may be some private sellers that are trying to sell these originals as well; you just need to do some deep digging.

Cabbage Patch Doll fever eventually died off, and this was partially because they took on a new style and design. While kids all over the world still love these dolls, they are not as much as a buzz as they were so many years ago.